Hi, Debra! I was a school librarian before I retired, and I loved to make bookmarks with the Ellison

I am loving the new mystery quilt by Bonnie Hunter, Celtic Solstice.  Here's the link if you'd like to join in: Celtic Solstice Mystery Above is a photo I snapped while making the orange/blue sets.  nautical bedding I stacked them in groups of ten to stay on track. I'm using reproduction fabrics from my stash for this quilt.  I'm hoping not to buy anything, but the orange nautical bedding is running out fast.  Maybe I'll go to the fabric store this week, after the Black Friday shopping storm is over. Bonnie gives great directions for making these units with the Tri-Recs rulers, but I just prefer the Accuquilt cutter.  And since it makes the same size we need for the mystery, I'm using the Triangles in Squares die. I love the accuracy of the die cut pieces, especially the way all the corners are pre-trimmed, but in the past I have struggled with the way the Accuquilt cutter can waste fabric.  As a confirmed fabric miser, this was upsetting.  I figured out a way to minimize it, by subcutting the fabric before running it through the cutter. nautical bedding Here's a quick tutorial on how to make these units.
I'm cutting side triangles here, so I measured the area on the die that cuts the side triangles, and added a smidge for insurance.  Then I cut my fabric pieces to that measurement, which in this case was 4.5 in. x 6 in.  It's easy to use scraps for this, or to cut yardage into 4.5 in. strips and sub cut them.  Notice the selvedge?  It will be cut away by the die, no need to trim it off.
VERY nautical bedding IMPORTANT--If you stack your pieces right side up before cutting, nautical bedding you'll only make the right side triangles.  If you stack them wrong sides up, you'll only make the left side triangles.  nautical bedding It worked nautical bedding best for me to do 4 layers at a time (less shifting), and to do all right sides on one pass and all wrong sides on the next pass.  This made them easy to sort into piles. The center triangles are symmetrical, so you can stack them either right or wrong sides up, it doesn't matter.
And that's that! By the way, the triangle on the left is made from Liberty of London fabric I bought on a trip to London in the 1990s.  It was just too precious to cut for years.  I finally broke down and cut it, and I am loving it.
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I know exactly what you mean about being a fabric miser!!! I cannot stand wasting fabric - even the amount that you are throwing away makes me cringe. I'll stick to using the Tri-Recs rulers, they work great for me! Love your fabrics! Reply Delete
I like the fabrics you have chosen for the Celtic Solstice quilt. I am a retired teacher and we used an Ellison die cutting machine when cutting letters nautical bedding and other items for bulletin boards. We cut paper but the dies got dull. Have you ever experienced that with your fabric die cutting machine? Just interested because you never know but I may want one sometime. Reply Delete
Hi, Debra! I was a school librarian before I retired, and I loved to make bookmarks with the Ellison cutter. So far, I haven't had any problems with the dies getting dull, and I have cut lots of quilts with them. The real problem is the mats--they have to be replaced eventually. Delete
Thanks so much for showing the accuquilt method. I have ordered my die and now waiting patiently for it to arrive. I'm a bit behind, but will catch up I'm sure. Rosemary Sydney, Australia Reply Delete
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Thanks for the Accuquilt tutorial. I've been on the fence about getting one. It seems to me that by the time I've cut the fabric to the size needed for the die, I could have just cut the size strip I needed and made a few more cuts to get the pieces. Doesn't seem like the die cutting is that much faster. But, it is certainly more accurate than I am at times. I'm leaning toward getting one next year when I retire. Barbara in MD www.stashoverflow.wordpress.com Reply Delete
Hi, Barbara! What I really like about the Accuquilt cutter is the way the shapes fit together, especially triangles and odd shapes like the apple core. I haven't nautical bedding bought any of the squares or strips dies, I still cut them with the good old rotary nautical bedding cutter. Delete
Love the tutorial. I am an authorized rep for AccuQuilt and can't imagine doing quilts nautical bedding without it ever again. Even if I can't do every piece using my dies, what I can do saves me so much time and makes the end result so much better. Reply Delete
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Sylvia nautical bedding Welcome to Treadlestitches! I'll be writing about quilts (and sometimes nautical bedding other items) made from vintag